Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-08-05
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
WICHITA, July 81.
In my last letter told you the story of the
wonderful growth Of this town Of Wichita :;
how in sixteen years it has become a city of
81, 900 people and how its development in the
past year has surpassed that of any other
town in the country In this letter I wish to
describe some Of the curious phases of its
growth and to give you some of the methods
by which the immense amount OF prairie sur
rounding it has been sold as city lots.
In the fiji st place, the town went crazy over
real estate. Its actual growth was discounted
1000 per cent. by the hopes of its citizens,
and both the incomers and the residents were
ready to accept any theory of its great fu-
ture. Such Of them as had the sense to SEE
that this era OF speculative values could not
last hoped to get out before the boom sub
sided and property was bought today with
the sole expectation of selling at an advance
tomorrow. The result Of the whole has been
that the farm lands within range of four
miles Of the center OF the town are laid out
in lots hundreds Of new additions have been
added to the old city limits and the city has
taken In the whole six miles square of it,
township into its boundaries. Real estats
signs grow like crops in widely distant fields.
,.o,.,, 81 nroi.,cted motor lines which ali loo
~, white -
WY. ,sst ,;oht ono " tho ;,aro,,;o, ,,o,
-, uv;ohi,. . mon yho I. az ualI no.toa ~,
-. l. So mn os ouy r,o, q, .. 81 =. =.
80 rs. ,..7.,..; IT,, ~. .,;,,. ~ 81
49, ;,o;',.rto ~ its hoor, Thsra 10 NJ do,,,,.
~, ~. 9th ~ HE statanent. which v,.,,o
o;,,o. mo an cord;tiop that b;s ,ar,s .ho,,,S
30. =. oo,nocted With them
%, - hoo,, haro " s.;ah no afor tro ,,,.-.
- 80 49, u,onav have L.nt w 90,
nrar ond there ia little that has GONE IN tbot
p h.,,o nv, soen W. have had a uondarf,,,
| rro,,h Int wa h.va heen crazy dur;rg tb.
Co., ,o.r .,a oil ~ tho world seams 70 ba ".
,,,sh.d IN IN helnus Wa have had noo,,s
horo crow, avery country NJ Eurone and evan.
nor, q, tho Irnitsd States The crave cor,.
,,o,,c.d tho middle of last Novemher and sv
tanded m the 1st Of April and during the
iot,ar mart ~ Il the real estate transfers ran
80 h;ah 90 60 eoo 600 a veek We yava an,
o.. licenses TO real estate agents. and sold
farm lands in lots at from as 600 to AZ OOO
49,. ,,ra T,ho cro,a I. rovv ouor ora tho
per mere ,sn 80 49, st0t I' e anu 'ne
ciizehs say 'ney nav ''opPou uu1 ing anu
gone TO Duilolhg lneTe Is Hiuch DuiulnG
! going on, but we will do well IL we build up
| our present limits in q decade. Much prop
| erty has been bought on credit, and the reck-
n,;nc, day ;s vat 70 coman
| oh'ng nay Se' " 'o,,
| nov was IL Poss'oie W create such a
5oom''
| u don't know. Our grown, wnich mas
jumped from io'ooo 70 about o*ooo In two
years, started H. ana the aroor OF the specuia-
tive American helped IL on some OF the
schemes by wh'ch iots were sofa are worth
telling we mao pro,eeteo MOTOR lines IN
every drectioh, anu any FARMER VINO wanted
to sell his iarin' Two OF tnree miles away, mad
only 70 get up a straw company pay Sl.oC
Tor cnarter 70 tne Guy, Guy lew Ties and
vsils ana ADVERTISE IL aS ne" aodinloh. Ine
| spectators would rush LOT H. anu MS IAN
would jump up from less IMAM Sloo 70 seVera
thousand dollars an acre. Inc same wa
| done by real estate agents, ana OF courS ].
| the majority OF cases the lines were $40 pee
building after the sales were made. AS ar
| instance OF this the following are some O. TIC
| motor INES that hf'e oeen proJec'eo'
| J. Wichita and Valley Center line Of eight nile
in length, along the extent OF wh'eh lois Wer'
SOFA, c.,
rne w w.S" 49, "nu IT,
| \ Tive Garsoid motor line
& The John Bright motor line
| O. The Rapid Transit motor line
= The First street and Central avenue moto
line ,..,,
! Ths Eairmomt Addition motor line
aAu ~ ,h.so l;,ss tha Wichita man ve,
49, 60. So, Era. 20 sioh, ,,i,.s j., lanath
Tha;- o,d;nancos nrov;dad that tbav sborl,
- ,,o;sa,.s0 ,,,,to, thr,ugh tho city nm,
10 a., .,s,, -. h.ra go, 5rn,h -
~, ,...r, s.o,,ta1 al tho NOV From, so,n oo
- :, ono 900 a,,i ,ha s,rit ~ sn.crIat;n,
- 49, ~ thosa Vic won. ;nto tlon
.ha W. in,,tv sSnact.d 70 rosLs hv ss,I;, q ~,
- H. 49,, I.s,aa ne OH ,haso III, % III,
rails ha y. ,.a.n laid fn. ono only and h 90
fo,,n,tS ~ than, x,;l, nav.r Iva hni,t "
ILL, a,,II ,hav 90, oh.rt.rs and =, t+,.,
NOT hoy. to o;,a honds in S,ch casas3p
.No Chsrters are tbs cbaanest tb;nos !,
U;ohit. orJ ,hera ara p,ore charters ,rnn,a,
l., those Kansas t,yyns in a v.,,. thar il, a,
tha ros, of Tho Irn;ted S,,tes Tbov ,,.,sI,
Ill th.;r !, so which ;s tho foo a,d rho,
20, ,hon, I,
GIN s,,a., ,.r ,in.S of Vich;t, oro ,,,,,,
r,.s ,r;,h tha ola ~ ,oil and the comnon,
which rrrs than 10 m.tipe morev Jts stnci
Il worth soso a sba,e, and,i it's charter. II ;
str;c,,v snacissa nv the citv that no otbe
than the + rail shall, he ussd This cbarte
,vas oron,e, about tbres yaars ago and IN
connect did not then know that the r rail wa
the cheansst and mesnest rail made Tn
car co,nrany tool ,hsn, h, but they ba ". mr.,
,;dad ,or otha, stvlsS ~ ale in the char,ar